A Change in Christmas Tradition
by Qualeo
Summary: Based off of my story "Sparkling of a human". Abby and Oneshot find themselves ddoing something a little different this year.


**A/N: Well here we are, the Christmas Oneshot based off of my story "Sparkling of a human". You'll notice, in an effort to avoid any spoilers, certain people and cybertronians are not present in this story. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and enjoy this story like I did! **

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><p>The large black GMC Topkick rolled up to the base, a thin layer of white snow covering its tops. Snow had also made its way in to the tires and stuck to the glass windows. On the front of the truck was a large red bow with two little bells, jingling as the truck slowed to a stop. The engine cut off in to silence, though the truck was still moving. After a couple of seconds, the front passenger door opened along with one in the back.<p>

"Thanks Ironhide, I doubt the old rust bucket could even make it out of the driveway in this snow" the voice of a female known as Abby said as she climbed out, her light brown hair covered in tiny speckles of snow. She was dressed like any sane person would be during winter, with a heavy jacket and boots along with a scarf around her neck. Despite all this, she still shivered from the cold.

"I didn't think it could even turn on" another voice said, coming from the small form of a robotic being. His main armor was black and he looked quite bulky despite his size, his optics blue and a smile on his face. His feet sunk down in to the snow, making it hard for him to walk behind Abby as he attempted to follow her in to the base.

"It was nothing, though I despise your human winter. It is a pain in the aft" the truck grumbled, vibrating nosily before it's shape began to change. The truck made a series of whirs and clicks before it finally silenced, now towering over Abby and Oneshot in the form of a large robot. He looked almost exactly like Oneshot, the only noticeable difference being his size. Ironhide looked annoyed as he shook one of his feet, snow piling up underneath as it fell from inside. Abby and Oneshot jumped back as the snow fell, nearly falling on top of them as well.

"First of all, watch your language. And second, you're going to hit us with that snow!" Abby scolded, though she wore a smile similar to Oneshot. Ironhide let his foot sink back in to the ground, cursing under his breath as it sunk in to the snow.

"Don't worry mom, I won't say those words!" Oneshot said as he trudged through the snow, sighing in relief when they finally entered the warm base. The soldiers ushered the three of them in before shutting the hanger doors, locking it behind them.

"You better not or I'll have to wash it out with soap," Abby said, causing Oneshot to shudder at the thought. The poor sparkling had tasted soap once, only to spit it out in disgust. Ever since that day, Abby had used it as a threat to keep him from misbehaving. So far, it had worked.

"So, Ironhide what are you asking Santa for Christmas?" Oneshot said, quickly changing the subject. Abby, though she knew what he was doing, decided to go along with it. She was just as curious about Ironhide's wish for Christmas as Oneshot was.

"What the fr- Who is this Santa Claus?" Ironhide asked, following them carefully as they walked across the hanger. He and the other Autobots had learned long ago to be careful where they walked, Ironhide having trampled over the liaison's car by mistake. Nobody had been too upset about that though.

"What! You don't know about Santa Claus? He is the best person in the world! He brings gifts to all the good boys and girls and coal to the bad ones!" Oneshot said, looking shocked.

"Oneshot, he hasn't lived on Earth as long as you have" Abby said, not wanting the sparkling to have his own version of a heart attack. Ironhide looked just as concerned, staring at Oneshot for a few seconds. His optics suddenly dimmed as he stopped moving, searching the World Wide Web. After a few seconds, he scowled.

"This human you are talking about doesn't sound good at all. I don't think I'd want an old and strange human watching me every day" Ironhide said as his optics brightened once more. Oneshot looked up at him with wide and shocked optics, having never heard anybody talk about Santa Claus the way he did.

"Besides, this Santa Claus isn-"Ironhide began to say, only to cut off when Abby suddenly interrupted him.

"Ironhide, may I have a word with you?" she hissed, gesturing for the mech to follow her. Ironhide complied without any argument, having known her long enough to know that it was futile. Oneshot watched them curiously for about a minute before his attention was grabbed by Sideswipe. The sparkling engaged in conversation with the speedster while his mother spoke with Ironhide.

"Ironhide, I swear to god, do not tell him that Santa is not real! You never tell a child that willingly!" Abby said, folding her arms across her chest. Ironhide looked confused, that being an understatement, as he listened to her talk.

"What, why not? I thought you were against lying? Isn't that what you are doing?" Ironhide questioned, causing Abby to sigh in annoyance. She had hoped to avoid this conversation, but of course with her luck it was unavoidable.

"Because, the kids love the idea of Santa Claus. He is like a symbol for Christmas. And he encourages good behavior. So I hope you'll be good and not spoil it for him" Abby explained, hoping he would accept her words without another thought.

"Fine, I won't spoil it for him. But you have to do one thing for me" Ironhide added, causing Abby to groan. Normally she would have just snapped at him and demanded that he just listen to her, but Oneshot was too close for her to do it comfortably.

"Fine, what do you want to know Ironhide?" Abby asked, watching as he set his hand down for her to climb on. Eyeing it suspiciously, Abby finally climbed on and gently wrapped her arms around one of his fingers as he lifted her up. She had never really grown comfortable to being picked up like this by any of the Autobots.

"You have to tell me about this Christmas"

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><p>"Christmas is the time for giving, celebrating the birth of Jesus, and a few other things as well. For me though, it's about making Oneshot as happy as I can. You understand?" Abby said as she stared up at the group of Autobots towering over her. Somehow, word had gotten out about her explaining Christmas and these particular bots could not resist learning about it themselves.<p>

"So you humans give each other gifts depending on what they want? And for sparklings, they think that this Santa Claus brings them some of these gifts?" Optimus asked slowly, trying to understand it along with the others.

"That sounds like a pretty cool holiday. I could do with some nice things I like" Sideswipe said, glancing back at his spot in the hanger. It was filled with things that the government had given him, but nothing he actually liked.

"Well it is a pretty nice holiday, especially since I get to spend the day alone with my boy at home," Abby said, smiling at the thought.

"Alone? Nah, you can't be alone like dat! You gotta have it here with us!" Mudflap said, only to be shoved to the side by his brother.

"Aw shut up! Da human can spend it alone if she wants to!" he said, earning a fist from Mudflap. The two began to wrestle with each other, cursing as each attempted to dominate the other. They were only stopped when Optimus and Ironhide intervened, pulling the two apart before they could do any more damage. Abby, who had been scooped up be Sideswipe, looked annoyed.

"You know, I could just stop coming here and then I wouldn't have to fear for my life or Oneshot's" she commented irritably as she was placed back on the ground by Sideswipe.

"The twins have a point squishy, maybe you should spend your Christmas here with us instead of being alone with Oneshot. I'm positive the sparkling would be delighted" Ironhide said after he had tossed Mudflap away from Skids, walking back to join the group.

"This place doesn't even have any Christmas decorations! Oneshot just loves decorations, especially the tree" Abby said, disapproving of the idea. She knew the Autobots knew nothing about Christmas and was worried they would accidently mess it up for Oneshot.

"I can get those easily and quickly" Sideswipe said, excited about the idea of having a Christmas on base. It would be a great opportunity to get away from all the seriousness they were all expected to maintain.

"What about gifts? I don't want to just be giving Oneshot something and not any of you anything. Unlike you and your military, I don't have an endless amount of money" Abby continued, still trying to steer them away from the idea.

"We don't require anything. I think it would be a great experience to learn about your human culture" Optimus said, pleased with the idea like the others. Abby, knowing that she had lost this battle, sighed in defeat. It was these rare moments when someone got the nest of her that always gave her headaches.

"All right fine. But if you screw this up, you're going to find all of yourselves with Ratchet for a week" Abby warned, causing several of them to shudder. They all knew she was not joking.

"Your lack of faith wounds me. We'll make it the best Christmas you two have ever had" Sideswipe said, skating away quickly. The others went in different directions as well, leaving Abby alone with Ironhide.

"Don't worry about it squishy. If they mess it up, it will only be amusing not deadly" Ironhide said, setting his hand down for her to climb on. Abby hesitated before climbing on, taking her normal position near one on his fingers.

"Maybe, but I don't think it will be amusing for Oneshot" Abby said, sounding worried. She was automatically thinking of all the ways this Christmas could go wrong, hoping that she was only being paranoid.

"Well Prime will make sure nobody messes anything up. It'll be fine" Ironhide said as he made his way across the hanger, searching for Oneshot. Abby looked around from her spot in his hand as well, hoping to find the sparkling as soon as possible. After a few minutes of searching, they found Oneshot staring out one of the few windows in the base.

"What are you up to sparkling?" Ironhide asked, setting Abby down next to him. Abby walked over to Oneshot, stopping when she noticed the expression on his face. Oneshot looked incredibly sad as he stared at them, looking back out the window after a few seconds.

"It's starting to snow a lot now. Are we going to be able to get home for Christmas?" Oneshot asked, sounding incredibly worried. Abby walked over to him, pulling him in to a hug in order to comfort him. Ironhide checked the weather report through the World Wide Web, frowning when he received the weather report. If the humans were correct, then there would be a lot of snow tonight. Driving in the amount of snow earlier was bad enough, but the amount predicted would be impossible to navigate through.

"It's all right Oneshot; the snow won't be a problem! Besides, guess what we're doing for this Christmas?" Abby said, driving Oneshot away from the sad thought. She knew that the snow would make it incredibly hard to retrieve the presents and decorations. However, she wanted to keep Oneshot as happy as possible.

"What? Tell me!" Oneshot said, staring at her with excitement. Ironhide could not help but smile at the sparklings reaction, finding it rather cute. Abby smiled as well, hoping that he would be even more excited when she gave him the news.

"Well, the other Autobots really wanted to have their first Christmas. So, we're going to spend it with them this year! Won't that be fun?" Abby said, watching Oneshot's smile grow even wider. He jumped for joy at the news, nearly tripping over his feet. Abby helped him balance himself before being pulled in to a big hug. She laughed, hugging him back before releasing him again.

"Wow, really? This is going to be so much fun! I can't wait until tomorrow! Are we going to have our Christmas tree with the decorations? Are we going to light up the base like we do at our house? Are we going to have presents top give to everyone?" Oneshot started rambling in excitement, causing Abby to laugh again.

"Primus Oneshot, you're going to give yourself a spark attack!" Ironhide exclaimed as he watched Oneshot dance around. Oneshot looked up at Ironhide before running over to him, giving his leg the biggest hug he could.

"No I'm not! I'm just so excited! This is going to be so much fun Ironhide! My first Christmas with you and the others!" Oneshot squealed as he was lifted up by Ironhide. Ironhide set the overexcited sparkling on his shoulder, making a move to pick up Abby as well.

"I think I'll pass. I kind of like my feet on the ground. Besides, I need to go talk with the others about decorations." Abby said quickly, backing away from Ironhide's approaching hand. Oneshot waved goodbye to her as she took off, searching for the others to help with the preparations. Ironhide watched her go, amused by her fear of being lifted.

"Your mother is never going to trust me no matter what I do" Ironhide commented as he began walking with Oneshot. The sparkling giggled, holding on to Ironhide's shoulder as the black mech moved.

"Mom doesn't like heights too much. She doesn't trust you though. She feels something else for you! You have to take advantage of it Ironhide! Its Christmas and I have the perfect plan!" Oneshot said, acting like the little matchmaker he was. Ironhide snorted, knowing exactly what Oneshot was talking about.

"How would you know anything about that Oneshot? I'm pretty sure your mother never talks to you about those things. I am certain she thinks that kind of talk is inappropriate for your age" Ironhide said as he walked in to his own workshop, setting Oneshot down gently on his work table. Oneshot moved away from the big space in the middle, knowing that it was reserved for weapons. Sure enough, Ironhide removed one of his cannons and placed it on the table.

"Because she let me go with you alone. Mom is really protective of me and would never let me go alone with anyone else but you! You have to listen to my plan, it's foolproof!" Oneshot said, now trying to drag Ironhide's attention away from his cannon. The black mech sighed before looking down at Oneshot.

"All right then, tell me your little plan"

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><p>"There's too much snow?" Abby exclaimed, looking shocked and devastated at the same time. Optimus did not look happy either, crouched down near the hanger door with her. The door was incredibly cold, causing him slight discomfort as he placed his hand on it.<p>

"Unfortunately, we cannot make our way to anywhere to pick up decorations. Nor can we head to your house to pick up the tree and presents" Optimus said, having hoped he would not be the bearer of bad news. He watched as Abby covered her face with her hands, her mood completely killed by the news.

"No, this is not good! This is a disaster! Oneshot will be devastated!" Abby said, sounding miserable. Optimus was as sad as she was, having hoped to give the sparkling the best Christmas they could manage. He knew he was not the only one devastated by the news, having informed the others as well.

"What, why will I be devastated?" the voice of Oneshot came from behind Abby, startling her. She turned around to find the little Autobot standing behind her, having searched the whole hanger for her. Abby glared back at Optimus accusingly, knowing that he had seen Oneshot earlier. She looked back at Oneshot, crouching down to his optic level.

"Well Oneshot, it's just there is too much snow. None of the Autobots can drive out there when it's like that to get anything" Abby said, her sadness increasing when she save the devastation on Oneshot's face. His smile form earlier had completely vanished, replaced by his sadness. His whole body shook as he suddenly threw himself at Abby, crying loudly. Abby felt like she was going to cry herself as she picked him up, trying to comfort him.

"So I take it we will be staying here. Where will Oneshot and I l be sleeping? I want to go there now" Abby said, looking away from Oneshot in her arms and towards Optimus. Optimus could only gesture for a soldier to lead them to their room, watching as the two left the hanger.

"Frag it all. I can't stand to see Oneshot like this" Ironhide growled as he approached, having heard Oneshot crying the moment he entered the hanger. The sound had tugged at his spark, causing him to feel horrible. He had guessed that this was probably the sparkling's worst Christmas yet.

"There is nothing that can be done Ironhide. I had hoped that it would not turn out this way either, but the weather made it unavoidable. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to inform the others" Optimus said, leaving Ironhide as he headed out of the hanger himself. He knew he could have just used his comm. link, but at that moment he felt the need to tell everyone directly.

'Frag this weather! It can't end up like this. I won't fragging let it' Ironhide thought angrily, pressing his hand against the hanger door. It felt cold, but he knew he could handle it. He looked around for a soldier, finally spotting group hanging around one of the military jeeps.

"Soldiers, get this door open for me. If I do it myself, my fragging hand will freeze to the thing" Ironhide ordered, watching impatiently as they all paused to stare at him.

"E-excuse me, sir? Isn't that a dangerous and risky move? " one of them stuttered, shaking in fear as Ironhide glared down at him. They began to move without another word, fearing the wrath of Ironhide as they began to pry open the hanger door. It opened slowly, letting in a blast of cold air. Ironhide transformed in to his alt form, taking off in to the snow as soon as he could. He was blasted with cold air as he slowly made his way through the snow, cursing loudly as he found it almost impossible. The soldiers could only watch him as they closed the door, wondering if he was out of his processor.

"Fragging Snow!" Ironhide roared, forcing his body to move through the snow. The black Autobot transformed in to his bipedal form, ignoring the cold as he made his way towards the road. He felt like the metal on his body was freezing as he moved through the snow, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling. He was not going to let Oneshot down. He was not going to let Abby down.

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><p>"Hey, get yo asses out here! You gotta see this!" the loud voice of Mudflap jolted Abby and Oneshot awake, causing them to both jump. The sound of metal hitting metal caused them both to jump again, Abby's irritation slowly growing.<p>

" Watch yo mouth around dat sparkling and his mom! She gonna give you an ass whoopin'!" Skids shouted, smacking his brother with his hand. Mudflap cursed, getting to his feet before tackling Skids to the ground.

"Not before I give you an ass whoopin'" the twin roared, sending them in to a full out brawl. The two twins whacked on each other as each one tried to dominate, only to be stopped when Abby came storming out. She was glaring daggers at them as she approached, causing both of them to cease what they were doing.

"Hey, I'll kick both of your butts if you don't watch your language and stop fighting! Now what are you two going on about?" Abby snapped, looking incredibly irritated. Oneshot came walking up behind her, staring at them in shock.

"You two hafta see this! Especially you Oneshot!" Mudflap finally said, removing himself off of Skids. Skids pulled his self off the ground, giving Mudflap an irritated look before looking at Abby and Oneshot. The two twins gestured for Abby and Oneshot of follow, taking off down the hallway. Abby stared at them in shock before following as quickly as possible, Oneshot behind her. As soon as they reached the hanger, Abby stopped dead in her tracks. Oneshot did as well, staring in amazement.

The whole hanger had been transformed in to a Christmas wonderland, colorful lights hanging everywhere. Popcorn on string decorated the ceiling along with a few large ornaments, gleaming in the light given off by the Christmas lights. A large tree was decorated just like the one at their house, several large and small presents underneath. Several large and comfy chairs were set around the tree, a few humans already sitting in them. The Autobots stood around the tree, every one of them smiling when they saw Oneshot and Abby.

"Wow, this is so cool!" Oneshot finally shouted, running towards the tree. He pounced on one of the empty chairs, looking incredibly happy as he took in the scene around him. Abby approached from behind, a shocked expression on her face as she looked around.

"H-how did you do this? Did you guys do all of this?" Abby asked, looking away from the decorations and towards the Autobots standing around the tree.

"Nope, we came out of recharge to find all this! It was a really big shocker" Sideswipe said, though his attention was mostly focused on the presents. Bumblebee had a similar expression as he stared at the presents as well; wondering what was inside of them. The two Autobots had noticed that several of them had Autobot names on them.

"There are presents for everyone! We have to open them! It'll be so much fun" Oneshot said, leaping from his chair and towards the tree. Several Autobots chuckled as he made his way towards the presents, picking up the first one he could find.

"Is this…for me?" Sideswipe asked, looking shocked as Oneshot pushed it towards him. Oneshot nodded in excitement as the speedster took the gift in his hands, shaking it lightly. Ratchet snorted and whacked him on the back of his head.

"Open it already, we haven't got all day" the old medic said impatiently, watching as Sideswipe hurriedly unwrapped it. Sideswipe tore the wrapping paper off the box and looked inside, making a face as he dug his hand inside. He retrieved a large handful of coal, causing several Autobots and humans to laugh.

"Ha ha, that's really fun- oh my primus" Sideswipe's optics widened as he reached inside again, taking out a set of four tires. They looked much different than the ones he normally wore, causing his to smile in happiness.

"What is that Sideswipe? Tires?" Oneshot asked, staring at the tires in confusion. Sideswipe held them closer and shook his head, a huge smile on his face.

"Not just any tires. These are racing tires. They're beautiful" Sideswipe said dramatically, causing several people to laugh.

"Just don't get yourself killed with them" Ratchet said, his attention suddenly brought to the present being pushed towards him. Oneshot looked up at the old medic cautiously as it was picked up, moving away quickly. He was still a little afraid of Ratchet. Ratchet ignored the gesture as he opened up the package, reaching in and retrieving the object lying inside. He snorted in amusement along with everyone else that knew him well.

"Special wrenches? These will be useful" Ratchet said, smiling as he set the box down. The other Autobots began to open up their own presents as Oneshot handed them out, looking excited. Abby watched the exchange with a smile before noticing a certain mech was missing, looking around to find him standing by the hanger. Abby excused herself before heading towards Ironhide, noticing that he was covered in snow.

"You sneaky big bot. You went out last night and di all this didn't you?" Abby asked as she approached, still smiling.

"Well if I didn't, I'd have to deal with an irritated you until next year. Besides, I had to go out to find something special for you" Ironhide said, watching in amusement as Abby raised an eyebrow. She opened her mouth to speak when Ironhide suddenly crouched down, holding one of his fingers above her. He shook it gently, causing a small object attached to fall off the top. She smiled in amusement when she noticed what it was.

"Mistletoe? Did Oneshot put you up to this?" she asked, though she already knew the answer. She was well aware of Oneshot's many attempts to get them together, having caught him in the act several times.

"Well, if you don't want to…" Ironhide said, shaking it over her head. Abby's eyes widened in surprise as she laughed, putting her hands on her hips.

"You're trying to get me to beg!" Abby said accusingly, though she smiled as she spoke. Ironhide winked at her, causing her to laugh before she finally gave him what he wanted. She kissed him softly, not wanting to make a scene with Oneshot around. She finally pulled away after a few seconds, laughing at Ironhide's stunned expression. Even though he knew it was coming, he still could not help but feel a little shocked.

"Hey you two lovebirds, you both got presents waiting for you" Sideswipe shouted loudly, causing them both to jump. Abby gave Sideswipe an annoyed look before heading over, Ironhide following slowly. He looked incredibly confused as the two made their way over to the group of waiting Autobots and humans.

"You got yourself a present too? Are you trying to hide that it was you?" Abby whispered as they approached, looking back at him.

"No, I didn't. Who could have…Could it be?" Ironhide said, staring at Abby in shock. She stared back at him, knowing where he was headed. She shook her head, thinking that it was impossible. She took the present she was handed carefully when they had finally arrived, unwrapping it slowly.

"All right, who's the wise guy?" she asked in annoyance as she produced a book about anger management. Despite her annoyance, she laughed along with the others at the sight of her gift. Everyone turned their attention to Ironhide as he finally unwrapped his present, taking out what appeared to be a new bumper stick.

"'Kid on board, back off'? Well, that's better than the old one" Ironhide said, shuddering at the thought of the pink bumper sticker. Everyone laughed as Ironhide set the gift down, shaking his head. Oneshot walked over to Ironhide, holding what appeared to be a small cannon in his hands. It looked incredibly old but still functional. Abby stared at the gift, frowning. Ironhide stared at Oneshot as he approached, smiling.

"That was my very first cannon Oneshot. It's been passed down from mech to mech in my family. I think you're responsible and mature enough to take care of it for me. It's unarmed though" Ironhide added quickly, knowing how Abby would react. Abby sighed in relief, thankful that Ironhide had thought things through before handing Oneshot a weapon.

"Wow, this is the best present ever! Thank you Ironhide, I love it! I'll take good care of it" Oneshot said, holding it protectively. He gave Ironhide a big hug, pulling Abby in to it as well. Abby laughed lightly before returning the gesture, giving both of the, a hug.

"Merry Christmas. I have to admit, this has been the best Christmas ever. I love you both so much" Abby said with a smile.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, I hope you enjoyed this little Oneshot! I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! I enjoy all of your reviews (A little Christmas present from you all haha!). Anyways, like I said earlier, hope you have a great Christmas this year! **


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